Fitchburg State trips up Raiders in non-conference action

FITCHBURG, Mass. (March 22, 2012) – Senior Kelly Finamore and junior Jessica Bartlett combined for 21 points as Fitchburg State downed Rivier College, 21-13 in non-conference women's lacrosse action this afternoon. The Raiders were led by Rebecca Wickens (sophomore, Tyngsboro, MA), Lauren Brett (junior, Otisfield, ME), Jessica Amaral (sophomore, E. Providence, RI), and Hannah Wyatt (sophomore, Merrimack, NH).

Fitchburg State's Finamore led all scorers, touching for 12 points with eight goals and four assists, while Bartlett added nine points on the afternoon with six tallies and three helpers. Freshman Lindsay White was also solid with three markers and three dishes, while junior Cassandra Benoit chipped in with a pair of scores.

Rivier received a strong offensive effort from Rebecca Wickens who finished with a team-high five points on four goals and one assist, while Jessica Amaral added four goals to the mix.

Fitchburg State jumped out to a seven goal advantage after one half of play, breaking opening a 3-3 contest with an 8-1 scoring surge over the final 20 minutes of the first stanza. Finamore led the Falcons rally with four consecutive goals in the final ten minutes of the period, while Bartlett added a trio of markers throughout the frame. Wickens and Amaral had scored 3 goals between them over the first 10 minutes to keep the game tied at 3. Brett tallied at 14:11 to cut the Falcons lead to 5 – 4.

In the second half, the Falcons continued their offensive pursuit, claiming a ten goal lead less than five minutes into the period. Rivier inched closer with back-to-back scores from Amaral and Brett to bring the score to 15-8 but Fitchburg State closed the door, scoring six more times to earn its second victory of the season.

For the contest, Fitchburg State out-shot Rivier 33-20, while also earning a 19-15 advantage in draw controls. Senior Carissa Kennedy paced the Falcons on the draw, collecting nine DC's for the game, while Bartlett added five of her own. In net, sophomore Dylana Drolette stopped four shots en route to her complete game victory, while counterpart Caleigh Bertolaccini (junior, Chelmsford, MA) finished with eight for the Raiders.